Sitka
This Nation is part of the Nearly Real World Sitka, officially the Republic of Sitka (Esperanto: Respubliko Haŭlando), is an island country in the northeastern Pacific Ocean. The country geographically consists of three main landmasses–those of Admiralty Island, Baranof Island, and Chichagof Island–and numerous smaller nearby islands. Sitka is situated in the northern part of the Alexander Archipelago off the coast of southeastern Alaska, approximately halfway between Anchorage and Seattle. Inhabited by Alaska natives for millennia, the islands were part of Russian America until 1867, when Russia sold its remaining possessions in North America to the United States. In 1947, responding to the ongoing refugee crisis in Europe, the United States created the Territory of Sitka comprising the three islands, and resettled displaced Eastern Europeans in the area. Since 1997, Sitka has been a sovereign, self-governing state in free association with the United States. Sitka is its capital and largest city. Etymology Sitka was named after Joseph George Sitka, the founder of the European Aid Society, the foundation that pressured the United States government to resettle European refugees in the Alaska Territory. Its three main constituent islands are: * Admiralty Island, named by George Vancouver in honor of his Royal Navy employers, the Admiralty. * Baranof Island, named by Imperial Russian Navy captain U. F. Lisianski to honor Alexander Andreyevich Baranov, the first governor of Russian Alaska. * Chichagof Island, named after the Russian Arctic explorer Admiral Vasili Chichagov. History Geography Sitka consists of three main landmasses–Admiralty Island, Baranof Island, and Chichagof Island–and numerous smaller nearby islands. Only the three principal islands are inhabited. Politics Sitka is a parliamentary representative democratic republic in which the Prime Minister of Sitka is the Head of Government, and which includes a multi-party system. The political culture is stable in Sitka, where power alternates between the four major parties: the centre-right Independence Party of Sitka, the centre-left Union of Socialists and Democrats, the nationalist United Sitka Party, and the Christian Democratic Party. The current Prime Minister of Sitka is Dan Obermajer, who is the leader of the Independence Party. National Assembly The National Assembly is the national legislature. It is elected by the people for a four-year term by a proportional system called ranked choice voting (RCV). Sitka's political system operates under a framework laid out in the 1997 constitution. The National Assembly has 120 members, and influences the governing of the state primarily by established taxes and adopting the budget. At the same time, the National Assembly has the right to present statements, declarations, and appeals to the people of Sitka; to ratify and denounce international treaties with other states and international organizations; and decide on government loans. The National Assembly elects and appoints several high officeholders, including the President of the Republic. In addition, the National Assembly appoints, on the proposal of the President, the Chief Justice of the Supreme Court, the Chairperson of the Board of the Bank of Sitka, the Auditor-General, and the Attorney-General. Members of the National Assembly (MNAs) have the right to demand explanations from the Government and its members. This enables the members of the Assembly to observe the activities of the executive, and the above-mentioned officials. Government The Government of the Republic is the national executive. It is formed by the Prime Minister, nominated by the President, and approved by the National Assembly. The Government exercises executive power pursuant to the constitution and the laws of the republic. The Government, also known as the Cabinet, consists of Ministers assigned to specific portfolios that correspond with various government departments. Although the ministers are formally appointed by the President, the President acts only on the advice of the Prime Minister, who can advise the President to appoint, reshuffle, or dismiss the ministers in the Government at any time. The Government carries out the country's domestic and foreign policy, shaped by the National Assembly. It directs and coordinates the work of government institutions and bears the responsibility for everything that takes place under the authority of the executive. The Government, headed by the Prime Minister, thus represents the political leadership of the country and makes decisions in the name of the executive. Law The Supreme Court is the apex of the national judiciary, which also consists of administrative courts, city courts, and circuit courts. The Supreme Court consists of eleven justices, led by the Chief Justice, who is nominated by the President and appointed by the National Assembly. The Supreme Court is the court of last resort for appeals cases from lower courts, and is also a court of constitutional review. According to the constitution, suprem Economy Demographics As of 2015, Sitka had a population of 1,035,701. Nearly three-fourths of the country's population resides in the capital and largest city, Sitka, and 90% of Sitkaers live on Baranof Island. Virtually all local government functions are provided by Sitka's nine incorporated cities. # Sitka, Baranof – 765,890 # Port Alexander, Baranof – 149,011 # Angoon, Admiralty – 29,613 # Elfin Cove, Chichagof – 16,686 # Game Creek, Chichagof – 13,849 # Cube Cove, Admiralty – 12,030 # Hoonah, Chichagof – 10,395 # Pelican, Chichagof – 10,123 # Tenakee Springs, Chichagof – 5,556 Approximately 2.2% of Sitkaers live outside the nine incorporated cities. Residents outside the cities have no formal system of local government, and receive service either directly from the state, or from one of the cities on a contracted basis. * Unincorporated Baranof Island – 12,552 * Unincorporated Chichagof Island – 5,982 * Unincorporated Admiralty Island – 4,013 The majority of Sitka's inhabitants are descendants of Eastern European refugees who arrived between 1947 and 1950. Among the most common ethnic groups are Polish, Ukrainian, Czech/Slovak, German and Russian. Culture Due to its multi-ethnic population of mostly Central and Eastern European origin, Esperanto was adopted as an interlocutory second language to facilitate communication in addition to English. The use of Esperanto in Sitka is unique; it is the only country where Esperanto is afforded official status. Nearly all Sitkaers speak Esperanto as a second language, while approximately 62% of Sitkaers speak English. International rankings